AQ Kafé

This place couldn’t even get my take-​out order correct. Only saving grace was the hot cashier!

Some of the food is pretty okay. I like the ham and cheese croissants, meat ball sub, grill cheese. Then there are other things like the tomato soup is literally a bowl of marinara sauce.
Service is bad. Lots of tourists from area hotels. Don’t be surprised if you sit next to a table with undisciplined children.

Very average food and service. Fake Scandinavian food served by Mexicans.
I had the herring plate which featured jarred herring and Finn Crisp right out of the box. Nothing special

Awful, simply awful!
I used to go to this place for the location and because it was kind of nice. It would still be a nice cozy spot if only they wanted. But nope. Most of the times they are out of the pastries listed (ok, I kind of understand it at the end of the day but a couple of hours after the opening is ridiculous… and they call it a pastry shop!!!). And on the top of that the real problem: the service! Every time different waiters and every time they get ruder and less professional. They treat you like crap (once I ordered something more after a salad and the waiter came back after 5 minutes looking at me in disbelief, questioning I already had food before… SO?! What’s your problem??? Not to mention all the times they throw the check on the table or you have to ask 4 times for a spoon before you take it by yourself from the next — empty — table).
Skip it.

I stopped at AQ Kafe on a chilly winter morning in search of a cup of coffee. I was in Columbus Circle and in a hurry when this place caught my eye. I was surprised to see the place was almost empty. There were a handful of people at sporadic tables and not a soul waiting in line.
I was greeted with a friendly smile and «good morning.» The associate was pleasant and quickly filled my request for caffeine. It was an OK latte. Nothing horrible but certainly not praise worthy. If I was in the area again and needed a caffeine infusion I might stop in again. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

This place is just missing the point. They are a café and pastry shop located steps from Lincoln Center, and when we went in at 8:30 (they close at 9) it was completely empty.
We were told to sit anywhere we wanted, and since the place was empty, we picked a nice big table. The server asked us if we could move to a smaller table, since this table was «for like 6 people»
I looked around and said «are you expecting a huge crowd in the next 20 minutes» — he looked puzzled.
Well we eventually sat in the big table and ordered coffee and a slice of cake. They were out of most of the pastries on the menu of course.
The coffee was fine, but between the cold service and the fact that the place smelled like disinfectant because apparently they scrubbed it to be shut down at 8, even though they were still taking customers — I am giving a 2 star rating.
We went 2 doors down to dependable Argo Tea and had a nice conversation and a 2^nd warm beverage.
Skip it.

Cute café near the park… food was okay. Not the most delicious breakfast. Shared swedish pancakes, which were just crepes with a side of raspberry jam and whipped cream, and baked spinach tomatoes eggs. Coffee was better than the food. Our server was very forgetful and we had to keep remind him to refill our coffee or bring us some soy milk…

Near Columbus Center, this café is a cute place to stop by for a salad, sandwich, or small entrée.
My favorite thing to get here is their grilled brioche cheese and tomato soup ($ 12) combo – I really feel they have perfected the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo with their addition.
I often get take out. When I’ve eaten in the service isn’t great. It can be slow and the waitresses aloof and inattentive. However, the food is decent for lunchtime and snacks.

Had breakfast here and it was pretty good. The service was slow and not very good. There were approximately 5 tables that two waitresses were currently serving when I went but for some reason, they acted like they were busier than that. I had a ham and cheese croissant which was delicious and a double espresso which for some reason, I could’ve sworn was just their single serving. I was already having a bad morning so I didn’t say anything and completely forgot to check my bill to see what I actually got charged for. The food was good, it was definitely a filling breakfast and the price wasn’t too horrible but the service definitely could use some improvement.

If Marcus Samuelsson is still involved in this place, he should be embarrassed.
On a recent evening, the place was deserted (the cashier suggested that was because the sign outside wasn’t lit), they were out of meatballs (!!), and the service was spacey (it took 3 different requests to receive all components of an iced coffee).
The food is fine. The tomato soup, in particular, is not at all creamy and so tastes entirely of sweet tomatoes and spices: yum. But the grilled cheese was a bit dry (brioche is just too thick for this sandwich, sorry), and an entrée salad was called just ok.
The sad thing is that this Scandinavian-​cute place is worn. The floors, the finishes, even the bathroom door are in sad shape and need to be spruced up. I know Chef Samuelsson is busy with Red Rooster, but he should give this great location some love.

Egads, what horrid service.
I was (somewhat) surprised to see all of the negative reviews for AQ Kafe. I thought it would average at least 4 stars because the food was pretty good. But now I don’t feel as bad giving this place one star.
I’ll admit, the mashed potatoes here are pretty darn good. I had a side of that with my grilled cheese sandwich (which was decent and came with salad and a slice of melon — very nice). The café itself is also super spacious. The tables and seating are comfortable.
I just wish our waiter (the blonde wavy-​haired guy) wasn’t such a surly douchebag. The service was efficient and quick, but it seemed like he wanted us out of there immediately. I definitely got some hostile vibes from him. Blech.

Last night was one of the most offensive dining experiences I’ve had in recent memory (if you can even call it a dining experience, as we were never served). I have been a regular customer at AQ, but that has changed. The service has always been slow, which I guess is understandable. Experienced wait staff probably work at busier, more upscale places, but this was still incredible.
I arrived at about 7:45 with my friend. We were brought water, and after being asked if we needed a few more minutes, my companion said that we did. We then sat at our table without being acknowledged or spoken to for over twenty minutes. I finally flagged down a young man, and he said «Check?» «Um, no. We would like to order.» «You want to order… One minute.» He went back into the staff area, and we sat there for more than five more minutes. Wait staff continued to walk by without so much as glancing in our direction. The restaurant was not crowded. It was baffling. We finally just got up and left, again unacknowledged by staff.

Very roomy, the restaurant is huge once you step around the take-​out section. The waitresses are nice but the service is very slow. We sat down for almost 20 mins before someone came by to take the order.
Our group tried the Swedish pancakes, Swedish meatball (larger meatball than the Ikea version), the baked eggs and the beet salad. All were decent.

This area of Hell’s Kitchen/​Hudson yards is a wasteland.
In an area that’s overrun by taxicabs refueling across the street and buses lining up to go to the Lincoln Tunnel going to jersey, this café is a wasteland. Hopefully more businesses show up and make it a cooler spot to hang out in.
They have a nice atmosphere to hang out in, but everything does seem extremely pricey. They serve la colombe coffee. I tried it and it’s okay. It’s not stumptown or some other boutique coffee, but it’s a good alternative to starbucks– if you like their coffee.

Sandwiches to go are fresh and tasty. I had the gravlax sandwich on a grainy bread with avocado, tomatoes, cukes and sprouts with mustard for $ 10.95.
More enjoyable than the sandwich was the DONUT I took for apres sandwich– called «the Berliner» and though more brioche than donut it was filled with chunky apple filling with powdered sugar on top– and at $ 3.25 was sooo sooo fresh and good.

Everything here is very pricey. In the dessert of upper 10^th Ave, this is probably one of the most expensive café I have seen. Does that mean their food is worth the price? I don’t really think so. I saw my coworker got a bowl of soup that has few ingredients but a lot of broth.
I only got a chai latte here and it was pretty good. But do I really want to pay $ 4 all the time? Not really.

AQ’s a cute place to have a meal or sit and have a cup of coffee. When it’s warm out, there’s an outdoor seating area. Free Wifi. Coffee, pastries and soups are all tasty and fresh, if not a tad overpriced.
It’s homey– only if your home looks like Ikea.

Definitely not as extensive as the other location, FYI. This place mostly just serves salad, sandwiches (~$ 9, pricey), bagels, and pastries. And of course, the coffee and juice-​$ 2.25 for a cup of coffee is a bit on the pricier end, too. But, since this is a new store they are giving out free coffee (just grab a menu and it should have a business card-​type ad attached to it). And you can become a frequent customer, buy 5, and get the 6^th free. But only if you fall in love with it. It was pretty much just like any other joint.
The place is nice and clean, with several wooden tables to hook up your laptop and study all day, or stools to people watch. The server was friendly and explained a couple of the pastries to me. Good atmosphere, yet the location isn’t very busy (which is a pro and con since I’m nearby). If you’re close, check it out-​if not, I wouldn’t make the trek out here. They do ask for feedback though, so maybe it can be better with some modifications.

Got a quick latte here on a Saturday night. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t skim milk, and it was a bit too hot.
However, the décor here is very cute. I’d probably come back here and try it for lunch.

This is a nice café with decent pastries and pretty good baked eggs for breakfast.
I’ve tried the linzertorte, which was pretty good, if overpriced. Also have had the crème brûlée shortbread, which is basically a shortbread cookie shaped in a heart with custard in it. A bit bland.
The fruit salads are a waste of money, and the red cabbage is awful.
Great place to sit down and read the paper, but I think I prefer le pain quotidien.